The Ongoing Administration-Wide Response to the Deepwater BP Oil Spill

Thursday, March 6, 2010

Hotlines:
• Report oiled shoreline or request volunteer information: (866)-448-5816
• Submit alternative response technology, services or products: (281) 366-5511
• Submit your vessel as a vessel of opportunity skimming system: (281) 366-5511
• Submit a claim for damages: (800) 440-0858
• Report oiled wildlife: (866) 557-1401
• Deepwater Horizon Incident Joint Information Center: (985) 902-5231
• To volunteer, call 1-866-448-5816.
• To report oiled wildlife, call 1-866-557-1401 (Note: Messages will be checked hourly).
• To report spill related damage, please call 1-800-440-0858.
• To file a claim, call BP's helpline at 1-800-440-0858.
• For those who have already pursued the BP claims process and are not satisfied with BP's
resolution, can call the Coast Guard at 1-800-280-7118.

Web sites:
• Response effort Web site: www.deepwaterhorizonresponse.com.
• For information about validated environmental air and water sampling results, visit
www.epa.gov/bpspill.
• More information about what types of damages are eHgible for compensation under the Oil
Pollution Act as well as guidance on procedures to seek that compensation can be found at
http://www.uscg.mil/npfc/.

"'IN THE PAST 24 HOURS'"

Top Officials Visit Gulf Coast:
Top administration officials traveled to the Gulf Coast at the direction of the President to meet
with federal, state and local offiCials, as well as local business leaders, as part of their continued
oversight of BP's efforts to plug the leak and contain the spill, and their ongoing emphasis on
interagency coordination in response to the event.

Secretary Napolitano and Secretary Locke visited Biloxi, Miss., and Pensacola, Fla., to inspect
response operations, meet with state, local and private sector leaders, and view firsthand
staging areas for the deployment of boom to protect vital shoreline from the oil spill.
Administrator Lubchenco accompanied the group to Biloxi, then joined White House Council on
Environmental Quality Chair Nancy Sutley in Pascagoula, Miss., to tour NOAA's seafood
inspection lab.

Secretary Salazar visited the Mobile Command Center in Mobile, Ala.~ to observe response
efforts and talk with responders about ongoing operations and mitigation plans. He also met
with BP Officials at their command center in Houston to get an update on BP's efforts to close

down their leaks.

EPA Deputy Administrator Bob Perciasepe traveled to Louisiana, where he reviewed EPA's

ongoing air and water monitoring activities, met with local and community leaders, and

assessed the environmental situation on the ground.

Low-Interest Loans for Small Businesses:

Small Business Administration Administrator Karen Mills announced the agency is making low­

interest loans available to Louisiana Gulf Coast small businesses suffering financial losses

following the oil spill, which shut down commercial and recreational fishing along the state's

southeast coast-acting under the SBA's authority to offer economic injury assistance in

response to a May 4 request from Gov. Bobby Jindal.

NOAA Mission Redirected for Oil Spill Response:

A NOAA-sponsored ocean mission, set to explore for deep sea corals, has been redirected to

collect seafloor and water column data from areas near the Gulf of Mexico oil spill source.

Researchers from the National Institute for Undersea Science and Technology are on a

university research ship to obtain core sediment samples from the seafloor and water samples

from the water column in areas near the spill source. The samples are expected to provide

important information about the abundance of marine organisms and the presence of chemicals

in ocean water and sediments-information for a baseline against which to measure change if

those areas are affected by sinking oil.

Oil Reaches Shoreline:

Shoreline Cleanup and Assessment Teams (SCAT)-federal, state and BP officials working to

assess and determine how cleanup will be conducted, and oversee cleanup operations­

confirmed that oil was found on the beach at Chandeleur Islands, a small group of uninhabited

barrier islands off the northeast of the Mississippi Delta. The Chandeleur Islands are part of the

Breton National Wildlife Refuge.

Successful Controlled Burn:

Favorable weather conditions allowed responders to conduct a successful controlled burn

operation for the second consecutive day. As part of a coordinated response that combines

tactics deployed above water, below water, offshore, and close to coastal areas, controlled

burns efficiently remove oil from the open water in an effort to protect shoreline and wildlife.

Emergency Response Stockpiles Arrive:

More than 80 flatbed trucks carrying Emergency Ship Salvage Material supplies-part of a

managed network of emergency response equipment stockpiles pre-positioned to support and

augment U.S. Navy Fleet capabilities to respond to pollution and other events-have arrived at

staging areas for immediate deployment.

Cofferdam Drill Ship Inspection Completed:

MMS completed its production system inspection for the drill ship Discoverer Enterprise-the

vessel that will be used to operate the cofferdam system and process the oily water pumped

from the riser plume.

. "

CDC Toxic Substance Monitoring:

The Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) National Center for Environmental Health

and Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry are monitoring the gulf oil spill and

offering assistance as needed to lead federal agencies and impacted states and communities.

Oil Cleanup Worker Health & Safety Training:

National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences is working with BP contractors to provide

technical assistance in development and deployment of health and safety training to workers.

New Weather Forecast Website:

NOAA's National Weather Service has created a special forecast website, available at

http://www.srh.noaa.gov/lix/.

NOAA Aircraft Missions:

NOM aircraft flew marine mammal survey missions and ocean imaging missions-providing

valuable information about the oil thickness and density on the ocean surface.

NPS Incident Management Teams:

The National Park Service has activated two incident management teams in the Gulf. Many

other park service employees in the area are supporting the response with technical information

and assistance.

Aerial Dispersant Spray Missions:

Modular Aerial Spray System (MASS) aircraft flew numerous dispersant missions-dispensing

the same dispersant chemical being used by BP and the federal responders. These systems are

capable of covering up to 250 acres per flight. To ensure nearby residents are informed and

protected, the EPA is constantly monitoring air quality in the Gulf area through air monitoring

air craft, and fixed and mobile air stations.

By the Numbers to Date:

• Personnel were quickly deployed and more than 10,000 are currently responding to
protect the shoreline and wildlife.

• Nearly 270 vessels are responding on site, including skimmers, tugs, barges, and
recovery vessels to assist in containment and cleanup efforts-in addition to dozens of
aircraft, remotely operated vehicles, and multiple mobile offshore drilling units.

• Approximately 750,000 of feet of boom (regular and sorbent) have been deployed to
contain the spill-and 1.4 million feet are available.

• More than 1.8 million gallons of an oil-water mix have been recovered.

• More than 253,000 gallons of dispersant have been deployed. More than 317,000
gallons are available.
 • Ten staging areas have been set up to protect vital shoreline in all potentially affected
Gulf Coast states (Biloxi, Miss., Panama City, Fla., Pensacola, Fla., Pascagoula, Miss.,
Dauphin Island, Ala., Port Sulphur, La., Shell Beach, La., Slidell, La., Port Fourchon, La.,
Venice, La.).

Resources:
• For information about the response effort, visit www.deepwaterhorizonresponse.com.

• To contact the Deepwater Horizon Joint Information Center, call (985) 902-5231.

• To volunteer, or to report oiled shoreline, call (866) 448-5816. Volunteer opportunities

can also be found here.

• To submit your vessel as a vessel of opportunity skimming system, or to submit

alternative response technology, services, or products, call 281-366-5511.

• To report oiled wildlife, call (866) 557-1401. Messages will be checked hourly.

• For information about validated environmental air and water sampling results, visit
www.epa.gov/bpspill.

• For National Park Service updates about potential park closures, resources at risk, and
NPS actions to protect vital park space and wildlife, visit
http://www.nps.gov/aboutus/oil-spill-response.htm.

• To file a claim, or report spill-related damage, call BP's helpline at (800) 440-0858. A BP
fact sheet with additional information is available here. For those who have already
pursued the BP claims process and are not satisfied with BP's resolution, can call the
Coast Guard at (800) 280-7118. More information about what types of damages are
eligible for compensation under the Oil Pollution Act as well as guidance on procedures
to seek that compensation can be found here.

Source: Joint Information Center I Gulf of Mexico-Transocean Drilling Incident